CULVER, Ore. – Uriel Mejia had done his homework and was all set to present a proposal for a new skate park to the Culver City Council.
Just before the meeting, Mejia’s co-presenters and fellow skateboarders backed out. It was up to Mejia to make the presentation by himself.
Then a high school freshman, he didn’t back down.
Mejia used the knowledge he gained at the High Desert Leadership Retreat, an annual Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development camp in Redmond that gives 4-H’ers the opportunity to improve their leadership techniques, among other things.
“I used my skills that I learned through 4-H to make a proper presentation,” said Mejia, now a high school graduate who is attending the University of Southern California.
The city councilors said they were supportive, but the city couldn’t afford it.
Mejia didn’t give up. Over the last four years he’s continued to help lead the effort to make the skate park a reality. In late June, he briefly stepped away from the 4-H Summer Conference in Corvallis to make another presentation, this time to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission for a competitive $750,000 Oregon State Park Grant.
In early October, Mejia and the project supporters celebrated the news: The skate park was awarded the grant. Construction is expected to start in December on the park, which has now expanded to pickle ball courts and a bike pump track. The skate park will be built on land adjacent to Culver Veterans Memorial Park.
According to Mejia, his solo presentation in 2019 to the city council “got the ball rolling” for a serious effort to build a skate park. At the time, Mejia and his fellow skateboarders would skate on a patch of land next to a highway. Culver is a community of about 1,300 in the high desert of Jefferson County, 10 miles south of Madras.
Cindy Dix, Mejia’s first-grade teacher, stepped in to help Mejia and his friends with fundraising. She was able to secure grants totaling $165,000 from the Urban Renewal District, the Bean Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation and the Central Oregon Health Council.
“Cindy has played in integral role in fundraising and helping me throughout this process,” Mejia said. “The project wouldn’t be possible without her help.”
Darlene Urbach, Dix’s teaching assistant in Mejia's first grade class, died of cancer in 2019. Her family dedicated a memorial fund to the skate park, which grew to $10,000 through a GoFundMe and other fundraising campaign.
Then Delta Pro Scooters in Bend donated 2,500 scooters to the effort, which were each sold for discount at $50. That added more than $100,000 to the Darlene Urbach Memorial Youth Fund. The Jefferson County Commissioners kicked in $10,000. Business fundraisers added $13,000, and community members have contributed $2,000.
“Now that we had serious money, we went to back the city council and said, ‘Hey we can do something here,’” Mejia said.
Last September, the city council passed a resolution to buy property for a new skate park. The city took possession in November. The park will be named for Darlene Urbach.
“At this point, we’re just finalizing more funds to put this into all one stage instead of building in stages,” Mejia said.
Mejia graduated in June from Baker Early College, a charter high school in Bend that offers students the opportunity to simultaneously earn high school and college credit. In addition to his high school diploma, Mejia earned an associate degree from Central Oregon Community College.
He will major in civil engineering at USC. He was awarded a full tuition Trustee Scholarship and a Viterbi School of Engineering Scholarship.
This summer was the culmination of Mejia’s long career in 4-H, which started in the fourth grade when he showed market lamb. Then he transitioned into leadership roles. He was a group leader and speaker at the annual Oregon 4-H Youth Voices in Action conference. He was selected to attend the 4-H National Conference in Washington, D.C., and has served as a youth member of OSU Extension’s Director’s Advocacy Cabinet.
“4-H has given me so many opportunities to really get out of my comfort zone and be more of a leader,” he said. “I used those skills to get more support for the skate park. Being in 4-H has also instilled in me a commitment to community service.”
